New York Giants head coach Steve Spagnuolo and quarterback Eli Manning on the field after the Giants defeat the Washington Redskins 18-10 in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, December 31, 2017.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

EAST RUTHERFORD - There were smiles and hugs, hugs and smiles everywhere for the New York Giants following Sunday's 18-10 victory over the Washington Redskins.

Interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo and Eli Manning on the field, Manning and general manager Dave Gettleman just outside the doors to the locker room, with the latter offering a "Good job" and the promise that they'll talk soon about an uncertain future.

New York Giants running back Orleans Darkwa (26) rushing against the Washington Redskins in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, December 31, 2017.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

The pain of a lost season, the frustration from a campaign in which the franchise finished with 13 losses for the first time in its history, all finally eased - at least for the moment - as Big Blue walked out of MetLife Stadium winners for just the third time.

At one point, Gettleman stood and chatted with co-owner and president John Mara near the middle of the Giants' locker room, the pair undoubtedly going over plans to hit the ground running on the next phase of this rebuild.

New year, new challenges. It's time for the games that matter to begin again.

New York Giants fans brave the cold temperatures during the last home game of the season against the Washington Redskins in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, December 31, 2017.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

It's not a clean slate, not by any stretch, but for the Giants, this is a chance to move on as quickly as possible in the quest to put one of the worst seasons in the 93-year history of the team behind them.

They need a new coach, a remade roster, a renewed sense of energy, confidence and purpose. There will be difficult decisions to make, ones that will shape the future of the Giants not just immediate, but long-term.

Before the focus for everyone turned to what comes next, Spagnuolo waited on the field to hug Manning, who admitted in his post-game news conference that this was indeed the toughest season of his career.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) is surrounded by media after the last home game of the season. The New York Giants defeat the Washington Redskins 18-10 in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, December 31, 2017.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

Chants of "Eli Manning, Eli Manning!" rained down from the hundreds still in their seats at MetLife Stadium at game's end

"I did ask the camera guy, 'Can you get a picture when I hug Eli?' Because, you know it's a memory. It's a memory," Spagnuolo said. "We've both been through a lot and none more than him with this season, but he never changed. I value that in people that can stay that balanced through ups and downs. He's had the highest of highs and this was certainly very, very low, but he's a tremendous competitor and I appreciate him greatly."

Well, for Manning, he'll celebrate his 37th birthday Wednesday. Gettleman has been on the job for three full days and to this point, he's gone out of his way to make us all believe the Giants intend on building around their two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback next season.

New York Giants wide receiver Hunter Sharp (84) and New York Giants wide receiver Marquis Bundy (86) celebrate Sharp's touchdown in the first half in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, December 31, 2017.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

What does that mean for the draft, for rookie quarterback Davis Webb - who was active for the first time, but did not play - and the position itself as the Giants plan for the future? No one really knows for sure, although Manning has stayed consistent in his responses: he wants to be a Giant, play out the final two years of his contract, but he is not oblivious to the circumstances that could affect his status down the road.

"I always think talks in person is more important than what's said in the media," Manning said, adding later: "This has probably been my toughest year in football, I would say. Just with, obviously with the losses, with the injuries, with the benching, coming back, the uncertainty and everything going on, but really, the losses more than anything, probably, it's tough. It's tough to prepare every week and put everything, all the effort into it and not get the outcomes that you want. It's been tough, but hopefully we can learn from it and grow from it."

New York Giants wide receiver Hunter Sharp (84) cannot complete a pass against the Washington Redskins in the first half in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, December 31, 2017.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

The Giants' coaching search will now take center stage.

Bill O'Brien is staying in Houston, so you can scratch his name off the list.

In the end, nobody really knows for sure. None of the interviews have taken place yet.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) faces the Washington Redskins in the first half in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, December 31, 2017.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

Gettleman and Mara have both laid out their criteria for a new coach: experience matters, but so does intelligence, leadership and vision. Mara says he and Tisch want someone who can step in front of a group and command the room, which Ben McAdoo was able to do for the most part during his 11-5 first season before failing miserably in his second year, which ultimately paved the way for the Dec. 4 firings of McAdoo and former GM Jerry Reese.

Patricia has been mentioned as a possible candidate in Detroit, provided Jim Caldwell does not return.

So those are two teams against whom the Giants will be competing.

Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur and Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks are also believed to be on the Giants' wish list, and at this point, there's plenty of uncertainty involved across the board.

New York Giants head coach Steve Spagnuolo, center, on the field after the Giants defeat the Washington Redskins 18-10 in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, December 31, 2017.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

Now that his four-game audition is complete, Spagnuolo is expected to get an interview as well.

"The season is over and the organization has to get rolling," he said. "We'll see what unwinds. We got the exit physicals [Monday] from 8 to 12, got a team meeting at 12 o'clock. I know Dave [Gettleman] wants to address the team, which is what you do. We'll lay out what we have to do going forward and then we'll take it day by day."

The Giants started the season with Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard as their wide receivers, and ended Sunday with Hunter Sharp, Travis Rudolph and Marquis Bundy - none of who were on an NFL roster in Week 1 - running routes.

Asked if his preference is to be the Giants' starting quarterback Week 1 of next season, Manning did not hesitate when offering an emphatic - admittedly one-sided - answer.

"Yeah, 100 percent. I don't want to go play football anywhere else," Manning said. "This is where I want to play, this is my family, the New York Giants. So, hopefully, they feel the same way and we can make that work out."

A New York Giants fan braves the cold as the Giants defeat the Washington Redskins 18-10 in East Rutherford, NJ on Sunday, December 31, 2017.(Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran/Northjersey.com)

For the Giants, a new season begins now.

After the epic disaster that unfolded over the past three months, they've certainly got a lot of work to do with no time to waste.

Enough time has been wasted on a 3-13 campaign that went nowhere fast.